


Down Memory Lane

by JuxtaposedNova



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brooklyn Nine-Nine inspired, Crime Fighting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, I like to think I'm funny, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Love Confessions, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuxtaposedNova/pseuds/JuxtaposedNova
Summary: Detective Ben Solo could barely believe his eyes as he read the note. He stood in the middle of the precinct, reading his partner's words."Due to personal reasons, I will be disappearing under mysterious circumstances."Where are you, Rey?
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58





	Down Memory Lane

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy.

Ben walked into the precinct, coffee in hand and a frown adorning his face. He had barely slept, and all he could really do as he tossed and turned, was hope for the dawn to come as fast as possible. Many things had been running through his mind, mainly how he planned on transforming a 8-year-old friendship into a romantic relationship. The hushed voices and the cacophony of the room made him want to punch someone. His headache had only worsened and he was sure that he'd punch a plant if it dared stand on his way. Instantly, he noticed that every person within a two meter ratio scurried away in fear and out of his way. People knew better than to approach him when he turned up in such a sour mood.

Of course, it was no secret that the only person with permission to talk to him when he was angry or, as he liked to phrase it, _slightly irritated_ was his partner in crime solving.

They had been friends for years, working on only the toughest of cases. They had the highest number of cases solved and they had both been awarded for it a couple years back. No one doubted their capability as a team.

Rey had been his rock, his source of emotional support and his biggest fan. And he was, stupidly and madly, in love with her. He had been for almost 7 years, after they had gotten over their initial hatred of each other’s persistent need to be right – which had almost cost him his life while chasing a particularly nasty criminal.

As he sipped his pumpkin spice latte – disguised as black coffee, no sugar - he noticed people were staring at him, trying to puzzle his reaction. He raised an eyebrow and stopped dead in his tracks, trying to understand what was going on. He did a quick scan of the room and noticed that there was a group of younger detectives gathered around Rey’s desk, whispering amongst themselves. He supposed she was, once again, telling them about their most famous cases.

But before he could even hope to come close to his desk, someone grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away.

“Dameron, what the fuck?” He growled, watching as the contents of his coffee cup fell to the ground. Great, now he was angry and lacking the caffeine his organism clearly needed.

Detective Dameron had a worried look on his face as he tried to tell him what was going on. He only managed to catch a couple of words amongst the mumbling, so he shook the younger detective.

“Stop.” He ordered, letting his hands fall from the detective’s shoulders and looking at him straight in the eye. “Now, tell me, what’s going on.”

Poe took a deep breath and a step back, already anticipating Ben’s reaction to what he was about to tell him. “Rey’s gone missing.”

Ben chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “What do you mean she’s missing? She’s right there, entertaining the kids.”

“You might want to look at the note on her desk.” Poe offered, walking to her desk with Ben trailing behind him.

The detectives surrounding her desk parted like the red sea as he approached, and he instantly knew something was amiss. Resting atop her messy desk was a note addressed to him taped to a file. He gently picked it up, careful not to ruin it with his infamous big hands. He read the words she had written repeatedly, denial slipping from his body like water and replaced with confusion. It felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped on him.

> _Due to personal reasons, I will be disappearing under mysterious circumstances.  
>   
> _

The murmurs ceased and he felt someone’s hand land on his shoulder in a comforting manner. He turned his face slightly, staring into the eyes of his uncle, Captain Luke Skywalker. Luke nodded towards his office, signalling for Ben to follow him, and retreated.

Ben glared at the detectives and they all scrambled into their desks to avoid his supposed misplaced anger. He grabbed the file and followed his uncle.

Sitting in an unencumbered manner, his uncle motioned for him to sit.

“Where is she?” Ben blurted out, not caring for formalities.

“We don’t know yet. She left a file with a USB drive inside of it and nothing more. Detective Tico already tried opening it, but it’s protected with a password. There’s a password hint, but no one knew what to make of it.” Luke explained.

“Was she here this morning?” Ben asked, and then lifted the file. “This couldn’t have materialized out of thin air.”

“Detective Finn,” Ben scoffed at the mention, “I know you don’t like him, but stop it. He was the first to arrive and the file was already there.”

Ben shook his head. “Did you check the security cameras?”

“Not yet.”

“I’ll do it.” Ben made a move to stand up, but his uncle’s voice stopped him.

“Ben, you can’t work on this case. I know how close you are with Rey, but I can’t let your personal feelings for her get in the way of finding her.”

“She’s missing!” He argued. “Do you not give a shit about her?”

Luke flinched at his words but quickly composed himself. “I care about Rey as much as anyone here, but you need to understand that I can’t assign you to this case. As far as we’re concerned, no one took her. The message is clearly hers, based on the handwriting. There’s no signs of struggle. For all we know, she could’ve just left on an impulsive road trip.”

“You know Rey better than that.” He argues, his clenched fist already turning white. “She wouldn’t risk losing her job over something as stupid as a road trip.”

_She wouldn’t leave without telling me._ He thought achingly.

Luke sighed and folded his hands over the desk. “My word is final, Ben. You can’t work on this case.”

Ben tried to stop his anger from getting the best of him, but he couldn’t help it. Rey could be alone and scared, probably threatened by someone or something. The very thought of someone harming her made his blood boil.

“You can’t stop me.” He answered coldly. “I’ll find her, strip me of my gun and badge if you want, but I can’t stay put while she’s missing.”

Before Luke could answer him, he exited the office, slamming the door behind him. Everyone turned to look at him and he glared their gazes away. He made a beeline for Rose Tico’s desk.

“I need you to help me.” He said, lacking in the greeting department. He was in no mood for bullshit. 

He didn’t even need to convince her before she was opening her computer. “Count me in.”

“I just need to look at the security footage and I’ll go from there.” He explained, aware of how much his judgment was clouded. He didn’t have a plan yet.

Rose nodded, accessing the precinct’s system and searching for last night’s footage. She skipped through until she found what she was looking for.

A couple hours before their shift ended.

* * *

_Rey pushed their culprit into a cell and turned to Ben, giving him a celebratory high five._

_“Another one for the books, partner.” She joked as he wrapped his arm around her and led them to her desk._

_As she sat down, Ben leaned against her desk with his arms crossed, simply content to stare at her tired face. Closing their latest case had exhausted them, and they both knew their job was far from over, with a dozen more cases piling up._

_“We should go on vacation.” He offered, tucking a wild strand of hair behind her ear. She opened her eyes and smiled._

_“We really should. We could go to Bora Bora and get sun tanned.” She offered, already turning on her computer and looking up destinations._

_He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “We both know our salaries don’t pay enough for a trip to Bora Bora.”_

_She faked an offended gasp and poked him in the chest. “Says the richest man in the city.”_

_“My parents are rich, not me.” He corrected her, uncrossing his arms._

_“Keep telling yourself that, Silver Spoon.” She teased, sitting straighter and leaning into him._

_He leaned in, as well, their faces inches apart. “Silver Tongue would be a better nickname, care to find out why?”_

_Flirting was a constant in their day to day, especially with each other. It had been going on for such a long time that they were already used to it. The sexual tension had been building up and even though both knew it would eventually explode in their faces, they were okay with playing their little game for as long as they could._

_She pushed him back playfully and kept on scrolling. “Okay, since you’re not taking me to Bora Bora, I’ll just rent an apartment on Airbnb near the beach and stay there all weekend.”_

_“Didn’t you hate the sun?” He countered._

_“Fine, I’ll just move to a cabin in the woods, away from civilization! Away from your grumpy ass.”_

_He laughed, pushing himself off her desk and walking to his. “Be my guest!”_

_“You’re an ass!”_

* * *

The footage showed him leaving before she did, since it was her turn to do paperwork. One by one, detectives emptied out the room, leaving her alone.

Rose fast forwarded the last minutes of Rey doing paperwork until she finished. As soon as Rey was done, she stood up and stretched. She looked around the room, probably looking for something, and sat back down. She spent a couple of minutes just resting her head on her desk, attempting to get some rest, before lifting it suddenly and opening a drawer. She pulled out a folder, a USB drive and a white sheet of paper.

Before doing anything with the objects on her desk, she pulled her phone out and called someone. She spoke with whoever was on the other side of the phone for a couple of minutes before hanging up. After that, she wrote the note and plugged the USB drive to her computer, uploading something to it before tucking it safely inside of the folder and leaving it on top of her desk. _What the hell is she doing?_ Ben thought. 

She stood up, put her coat on, and walked to Ben’s desk. She lingered there for a second, hesitating, and then left.

“Is that all?” Ben breathed out. “Is that it?”

“Yeah, that’s all.” Rose answered as she closed her eyes, deflating on her chair over not finding anything that would tell them where Rey was.

Ben opened the folder and took the USB drive out. “Then our next clue is here.”

Rose cracked an eye open and grimaced. “I tried cracking it open, but Rey’s smart. She encrypted it well and the only way to open it is to know the password, which I don’t. What kind of clue is _scones suck, donuts are the superior food_ anyway?”

Rushing to his desk, Ben plugged the USB drive into his computer. He knew the password. No one would’ve been able to know it except for him. It was an inside joke between them. He typed in the words and smiled triumphantly as the contents of the drive were presented to him.

* * *

_Rey had been sulking all day, barely paying attention to the case they were working on. After a couple of hours of trying to get her to pay attention, Ben gave up. They wouldn’t be able to solve it as long as she didn’t have her head in the game._

_He got up, grabbed his coat and offered her his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”_

_She lifted her head and looked at him in confusion. “We’re still working, Ben. We have no leads. Where are we going?”_

_“We’re going to pretend we have a lead and we’re going out to get some coffee so we can talk about what’s troubling you.” He stated._

_That seemed to do the trick, as she smiled at him and took his hand. “Thank you.”_

_During the entire drive, she was silent. So, he allowed the silence to embrace them both. It was comfortable, despite how sad she was. They were so used to each other’s presence that he knew when to break the silence and when to shut up. He drove all the way into a small café located in the most expensive area of the city. Her eyes widened like saucers when she realized where he was taking them._

_“Ben, I can’t afford to buy a $50 cup of coffee.” She argued as he parked the car._

_“It’s on me.” He replied, exiting the car and going to the other side to open the door for her. “Let me treat you to some actual coffee instead on the watered-down bullshit you always drink.”_

_She laughed, exiting the car and taking his hand. “Hey, it tastes good!”_

_He made a face at her as they entered the café and took a seat in one of the tables near the window, where they could watch people walk by. A waitress walked to their table and placed the menus in front of them, then left._

_“Wow, excellent customer service.” She said sarcastically._

_Ben chuckled as he scanned the menu. “She hates me.”_

_Rey lifted her eyes from the words plastered on the rich looking menu and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell her the reason why. “What did you ever do to her?”_

_“Let’s just say it involves a fork, a piece of strawberry cake, a slice of cheese, an espresso, a wig, and a very angry poodle. It’s a miracle they didn’t ban me from this place.” He said vaguely. “Besides, that’s the reason I only come here during the weekends. She doesn’t work on Saturdays.”_

_Unconvinced, Rey rolled her eyes and returned her eyes to the menu. A couple of minutes later, the waitress returned and asked for their orders._

_“I’ll have a scone and a cappuccino.”_

_Rey giggled, making both Ben and the waitress turn to look at her with interest. She shook her head and ordered. “I’ll have a matcha green tea and a donut.”_

_The waitress gave her an odd look, took their orders and left to deliver them to the cook._

_“What’s so funny?” Ben asked, smiling._

_“A scone? What are you? British?” She teased._

_“I like them.” He answered defensively. “Besides, you’re the British one here.”_

_Her smile faltered and she shrugged. He noticed her sudden change of demeanour and placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it for comfort._

_“What’s wrong?” Ben questioned, looking at her tenderly._

_“It’s just…the holidays are coming, and I always remember how lonely I felt when I was child around this time of the year. I would see children walking hand in hand with their parents…I felt unwanted. And…seeing the Christmas decorations just reminds me of that. I used to spend Christmas alone until I met you.”_

_Ben nodded, listening. His heart ached for her. He wished he could take all the pain away, protect her from the rest of the world. He wished he could give her all the happiness in the galaxy, to have her smile for as long as she lived._

_“So, thank you for spending them with me. I know we used to hate each other but I’m really glad you came through for me. I’ll never forget it. It means a lot to me.”_

_“You mean how I took a bullet for you?” He asked playfully. Rey smiled at him._

_“Yes, that.”_

_The waitress arrived shortly with their food, interrupting the tender moment they were sharing. As Ben took a bite out of his scone, Rey grimaced._

_“What?” Ben mumbled; his mouth full of scone._

_“Scones suck, donuts are the superior food.” She said, taking a bite out of her chocolate donut._

_A week after their lunch date, they agreed that every time either of them felt down, they would go and drink expensive coffee – and argue whether donuts or scones were superior. Truth be told, Ben agreed with her, but he would never tell her that._

* * *

The contents were less than he expected. A mp3 file and a PDF document. Rose had taken notice of the fact that he had managed to figure out the password and was standing behind him, absorbing all the information that was presented before her eyes.

“How did you know the password?” She whispered, leaning into the screen.

“It’s…an inside joke.” Ben replied sheepishly.

Rose pushed his hand away - rather rudely, he might add - from the mouse and clicked on the document. Inside of it, there was only the photo of a criminal and the date in which he had been captured. “Does this seem familiar?”

Ben tried to remember where he’d seen that face before, but he was unable to. “Not…really.”

Rose noticed that his answer was hesitant but said nothing. “Alright, then, let’s open up the mp3 file.”

She plugged her headphones into his computer and handed him one so he could listen. Instantly, the player displayed an album cover on his screen with the name of the song underneath the image. The first notes of the song filled their ears and he recognized the song. He was struggling to place it until it finally clicked.

It was one of their first few cases together after dealing with their trust issues and hatred. They had been undercover, trying to catch the head of a criminal gang known for their cowboy aesthetic and their ruthlessness. It had taken them months to gain the gang’s trust, months filled with fear and uncertainty, where they knew that one misstep could get one of them killed, if not both. It was not a risk they were willing to take. They had been at a party, a birthday celebration.

* * *

_The ceiling was covered in fairy lights, giving the place a magic and homely feel to it, as the first notes of Crooked Still’s Little Sadie blasted through the speakers. People were joyfully dancing to it, swinging around the dance floor. Laughter and chatter filled the room. He fucking hated country music._

_Ben was resting against the bar, sipping whiskey as he watched Rey dance with one of the superior rank gang members. She wore a beautiful forest green dress that only made her look more appealing to people. Her smile could light up the room effortlessly. He watched as the man who was dancing with her lowered his hand to her bottom. How fucking dare the man lay his hands on her? He was about to walk to them and deliver a well-deserved punch to the man’s face when a man spoke to him._

_“I hate these things.” The man spoke. Ben turned to look at him and forced himself to maintain a cool façade. Standing beside him was the leader of the gang._

_Ben huffed, smiling bitterly. “Tell me about it.”_

_The man grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the bartender’s hands and poured himself a drink. Ben felt his hand getting heavier as the leader refilled his glass. “Well, you know what they say: happy wife, happy life.”_

_“Didn’t know you were married.” Ben said, drinking._

_“Few know about it.”_

_Instantly, he knew it was a test. He took another sip of his drink and focused his eyes on Rey. “Well, who’s the lucky woman?”_

_The leader laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. “The lucky woman is a man. See the one dancing with the girl with the green dress?”_

_Ben gulped but nodded. “Yes?”_

_“That’s my husband. Been together for almost twenty years. Can’t say I’ll ever get tired of him.” The man says fondly._

_Finishing his drink, Ben looked down. He didn’t know what to say. All he could really focus on was on the fact that he had the leader in the same room as him, he had to call it in. It was now or never; they had been chasing this guy for far too long due to him being incredibly sneaky. But really, all he wanted to do was watch Rey have fun. Something about the leader's words sparked something inside of him that he wasn't sure he would be able to smother._

_As the song ended, the leader’s husband finished his dance with Rey by pulling a grand dance manoeuvre. Her laughter could be heard across the entire room, and people clapped as she thanked them._

_“They’re putting on quite the show, huh?”_

_“They’re great dancers.” Ben offered, weakly, refilling his glass._

_“I can see the way you look at her. How long have you been in love with her, boy?”_

_Ben choked on his drink and turned to look at the leader with confusion. “What?”_

_He had never dared to consider love, not in his line of work. Much less with a co-worker. But, with Rey's beautiful smile, her smarts and her charisma, it was hard not to wish for something as luxurious as love. He wondered..._

_Before the leader could answer, Rey called out his fake name as she approached them. “Kylo! Hey! What took you so long?”_

_“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” He replied as she grabbed his glass from his hand and downed the contents in one gulp._

_The leader waved at her and she waved back, grabbing Ben’s hand and leading him to the dance floor as a slow song began. As they walked to the dance floor, the leader called out to Ben:_

_“You’ll forever regret it if you don’t tell her.”_

_Rey wrapped her arms around his neck as they slow danced to the song. He heard something click behind him and he knew she had pressed the hidden emergency button on her fake bracelet. It wouldn’t take long for reinforcements to arrive._

_“What is he talking about?” She asked._

_“Fuck if I know.” He lied._

_Their faces were inches apart. He only needed to lean in to connect their lips. Heavens knew how much he wanted to kiss her, to find out if her lips were as soft as they looked. If her breath was as sweet as the rest of her. If she would kiss him back._

_“Okay, I have a very serious question.” She suddenly announced, her eyes locked on his. “How bad do I smell?”_

_Ben leaned down and sniffed her, scrunching his nose in disgust. “Like a…hot pile of garbage on fire.”_

_“Oh?” Rey said looking offended. “Okay.”_

_Without a warning, she rubbed her sweat covered face against his cheek, and he groaned in annoyance, trying to refrain from laughing. “You’re absolutely disgusting.”_

_“You love it, don’t lie to me.” It was only then that he noticed that she was using her normal accent instead of the fake American one she had been forced to adapt._

_She hugged herself closer to his body, resting her chin on his shoulder as they danced. Ben prayed to whatever gods he didn’t believe in that she wouldn’t be able to feel how fast his treacherous heart was beating at her proximity. He also noticed that everyone was staring at them. He noticed every man focused on her, on them._

_“Every guy in this room is staring at you.” He pointed out, strengthening his hold on her to try and shield her from their lustful gazes._

_He felt Rey’s hot breath on his ear, and he had to supress a shiver. “Maybe they’re staring at you.”_

_“They’re not.”_

_“Maybe they’re jealous of you.”_

_“I’m…just a man. I’m not a threat.”_

_Rey loosened her hold on him to lean back and stare at him. She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and watched him with an emotion he couldn’t quite place._

_“Oh, Ben…I think they should be terrified.” She whispered as she leaned in to kiss him._

_Before their lips could meet, the sound of a door blasting open stopped the music and popped the little bubble they had been living in up until that moment. They let go of each other and turned to look at the intruders._

_Reinforcements had arrived exactly as they knew they would. Pulling their guns from their shelter, they nodded at each other._

_The acoustic version of Ecstasy by Crooked Still would forever be etched into his memory._

* * *

“I know where I have to go.” He said, suddenly closing his laptop and standing up. He grabbed his trench coat and gloves and strapped his gun and badge to his belt.

“Where are you going?” Rose asked.

“To a bar.” He said simply. “We worked on a case together and we caught the criminal right on that bar.”

Rose nodded, deep in thought. “Ben.”

“What?”

“She wants you to find her.” Rose said. “All of these clues, they’re things only _you_ could’ve known. She didn’t disappear under mysterious circumstances; she wants you to find her.”

“Why would she do that?” He asked to himself.

“I don’t know, but this is your own personal manhunt.” Rose said, handing him the USB drive. “Go find her, detective. Bring her home.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Rose.”

Time seemed to slow down as he got into the car and realized how empty it was without Rey next to him. As he started it, the radio blasted – what they liked to call their criminal chasing song – Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked. Without her singing along with him, it made no sense to have music in the background. He turned the radio off and drove to the bar where they had caught the leader of the cowboy gang. He could almost see her dancing along to the lyrics, tapping her fingers on his arm as he drove. 

As soon as he arrived, he realized that the place had not changed much. The fairy lights still hung from the ceiling. Somehow, by being back there, the memory of their almost kiss kept replaying in his head over and over, like a curse for him to carry for as long as he lived. The bartender took notice of him.

“What can I get you, sweetheart?” The woman asked, her voice rough from smoking far too many cigarettes and the weight of age tattooed into her skin.

“I’m looking for someone.” He replied, sitting on the barstool.

“Aren’t we all?” The woman joked, pouring a drink for the drunk college student, mumbling about finals, next to him.

“I’m looking for my partner.” He explained, pulling his phone out and showing the bartender his wallpaper.

It was a picture of them in their pyjamas. They had shared a tent during one of the precincts training drills. He remembered barely being able to breathe from laughing too hard. They had sneaked alcohol in and had already finished the entire bottle. Her cheeks were pink, and she looked so happy with her hair strewn in every direction. His heart ached at the sight, but he refused to let it get the best of him.

“Oh! I saw her a couple hours ago. She left something for someone, must be you.” She said, leaving the bottle in front of him and kneeling to pull something from underneath the bar. The bartender handed him a small envelope that weighed nothing.

“Thank you.” He mumbled, opening the envelope and pulling its contents out. It was a necklace. There was nothing special about it, or so he thought, until he noticed the charm. It was a bullet.

He had given it to Rey after taking the same bullet for her. The bullet was meant to pierce her heart, to take her away from him, to end their partnership before it even started. At first, he had meant to make fun of her by gifting her the necklace, but when her eyes filled with tears at the gift, he realized that it held a different meaning for her. It changed the entire memory for them, it was the beginning of their alliance, their friendship and the love story he had meant to add to the list before she disappeared.

He smiled fondly as he pocketed the necklace and exited the bar.

* * *

_The flashlight he had been carrying around was knocked out of his hand while he fought the henchman who had been attempting to bring him down, resulting in him walking through the harbour guided only by the moonlight. Somewhere along the line, he had been separated from his annoying partner. Despite the fact that they constantly fought and bickered, and that she had ruined one of his favourite shirts with her pathetic looking - although delicious - blueberry pie, he cared for her. It was on his ass if anything happened to her, especially since he knew Luke liked her._

_He kept his senses sharp, trying to locate his partner before trying to find the criminal they were after. Panic was beginning to settle deep in his bones as he tried to contact her again and again through his earpiece. No matter how much they despised each other, he recognized her capability to hold her own in close quarter combat. She was one hell of a fighter. He was pretty sure he was the only person she had yet to defeat. It didn't matter much because he had not been able to defeat her either. They always ended up tiring themselves out before anyone could win. Silencing his footsteps as much as he could, he hoped she was okay. Being assigned to someone whose abilities he didn't trust would be absolute hell for him._

_"Drop your weapon!"_

_He recognized her voice instantly, along with the sound of panting. He let the sound guide him to her, moving as fast and as silently as he could, not wanting to give away his position in case there were more henchmen hanging around. It was the shadow of a man who let him know exactly where she was. She had the man trapped between the wall of a shipping container and herself. The only exit was the place where he was coming from. He knew they had him. Alerting her of his presence could prove to be a distraction, so he remained in place, trying to come up with the best course of action._

_Narrowing his eyes, he noticed the man's finger slowly reaching to pull the trigger. He had but a few seconds to react, but he knew he would do it again._

_As his body collided to the floor with Rey in his arms, he felt the hot pain of the bullet in his abdomen - and he hoped to whatever goodness existed in the world that it had not pierced anything vital. No longer than a second after he hit the floor, he turned back, ignoring the pain from his wound, and emptied his gun on the man._

_He felt Rey's warm hands cup his face, and checking him for any other wounds. "What the hell, Solo?! Why did you do that?!"_

_Smirking in return, he allowed himself to drop his full weight to the floor. Rey's hands were on his abdomen immediately, applying pressure to the wound. He had taken worse hits during his career, but he liked seeing how worried she was for him. Coughing for dramatic effect, he looked at her._

_"Ben, don't you dare die on me! Please..." She whispered, tears filling her eyes as she tried to stop the bleeding. "Help is on the way!"_

_"I'm okay, Rey." He comforted her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm okay."_

_She sniffed, glaring at him. "That bullet was meant for me, you big idiot!"_

_"I know." Ben whispered._

_It was only when the combination between red and blue lights highlighted her face, that he realized how beautiful she truly was._

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as he drove to the harbour. He knew where to go; he had no doubt of it. It was the only place the necklace could’ve symbolized. When he arrived, the moon was already providing light and the cloak of night had covered the sky.

Walking slowly, he made his way to the place where he had almost bled out for her. It was a dead end, an alley with no way out. A place where his blood still lingered, the smell of iron almost as clear as the summer sky. He found a piece of paper on the floor.

> _You’re my ray of Sunshine. Find the boat, Silver Spoon.  
>   
> _

Pulling a flashlight from his belt, he made it his mission to find the boat. He had been to the harbour only a handful of times before, so he knew he had to be careful not to get lost. The sound of waves and his footsteps were the only things that shared his presence. He could fall asleep listening to the waves if he desired to do so one day. He read the name of each boat, trying to find the one where Rey would hopefully be. _Where are you, Rey?_ He wondered.

Boat after boat, his patience was running low. He couldn’t find the goddamn boat. No boat in the harbour was named Sunshine. He took the note out of his pocket and read its contents once again. Sunshine, Silver Spoon.

_Silver_.

He had seen a boat named Silver. He ran back, retracing his steps, air escaping and entering his lungs, and found the boat. A white boat, with the name written on its side. It had a beautiful look to it, decorated with clutter. He could see light coming from the inside, so he climbed in. Slowly, he opened the door with his hand hovering above his gun, in case he wandered into the wrong place.

He was greeted by the sight of Rey, in a red dress, drinking wine.

“Took you long enough.” She teased, uncrossing her legs. "Did you have fun?"

He relaxed, closing the door behind him. “This is, by far, the stupidest thing you’ve ever made me do.”

She laughed and stood up. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she ran her thumb lovingly on his cheek. He closed his eyes, enjoying her gentle touch.

“I thought something had happened to you.” He admitted, leaning his forehead against hers. “Don’t you ever dare to pull something like this again.”

“I’m okay.” She whispered. “I’m okay, Ben.”

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Why did you do this, anyway?”

She took a step back and opened her arms, motioning towards the room. “I think we deserve a vacation.”

It took him a moment to register her words, but when he did, he burst out laughing. “All this for a vacation?”

“You’d be surprised how willing your uncle is to let go of your grumpy ass for a month.” She joked, offering him a glass of wine.

He threw his head back in frustration and groaned. “Were they all in on this?”

“Pretty much.” She confessed.

He looked down at her, at the way the room’s lighting made her hazel eyes so much brighter. At her beautiful red lips and the trail that led to the valley between her breasts. It was hard, looking at her like that, and not wanting to kiss her senseless. He’d been in love with her for so long…for ages. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until they couldn’t breathe. He wanted to make love to her until her name was the only thing he could think about. 

“Was a vacation the only reason you did this? All of the clues were linked to us.”

She smiled and looked away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and letting one the straps of her dress slide down her shoulder, revealing more skin to him. “No...”

He knew where this was going. He took off his trench coat and approached her. He could hear Ecstasy in the background, and he knew what he had to do.

Slowly, he leaned down to kiss her. His lips made contact with hers, and he could’ve sworn he felt a part of himself return to his body. As if he hadn’t realized there was something missing, like a dyad. She moaned into the kiss when he nibbled on her bottom lip. 

The sound of her pleasure sent blood rushing south and he had to be sure that she wanted this as much as he did.

“I love you, Rey.” Ben whispered against her lips. “I’ve loved you since you openly defied my bullshit theory in front of the entire precinct.”

She chuckled wetly. “I’ve loved you ever since you took a bullet for me.”

“Are you sure you want this?”

“Yes.”

He had taken a trip down memory lane to find his future. And, he was certain, a bright future awaited them both.

They had always been a team. This time, as they laid tangled up in bed in the aftermath of their lovemaking, a whole new adventure awaited them. And they would face it like they always had.

Together.

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to Crooked Still and Cage The Elephant for the songs mentioned. 
> 
> For those of you that recognized the similarities between one of the scenes and a TLOU II trailer, you were right.


End file.
